


the 5 senses series

by sleepyscribbles



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 06:44:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18162596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscribbles/pseuds/sleepyscribbles
Summary: She saw past his scars to the beauty that laid beneath.





	1. touch

_you touched me_

He’s grown to like everything about her hands; they’re tiny in size, the softness of her skin feels almost alien compared to his rough calloused hands, and one of his hands can completely envelope both of hers. She’s so delicate looking in this moment, her hands tightly entwined with his own, he almost fears that if he holds on to her too tightly, she’ll crumble away in his arms. These hands, these little hands of hers, have healed more than the scars to his skin; these hands have soothed and mended the inflictions deeply imbedded in his soul. These hands have held him and caressed him in his darkest hours, lifted him up when he felt so low. These hands of hers delivered him his salvation. Hesitantly, he presses a quick kiss to the inside of her wrist, a silent show of devotion.

She’s grown to like everything about his scars, how they map an entire story of his life on his skin. He finds them hideous, disfiguring, and he was sure she would flinch away from the ugliness of theses marks, but she finds they give him character. She had long ago come to embrace and understand his dark past, yet still he tried to hide these parts of himself, fearing that she would not be willing to accept him as he was. She traces the path of scars littering his body like they’re stars in the sky that she alone must track, her fingers skittering across the jagged, broken skin with diligence and care. Each deeply imbedded scar in his skin tells a story, and she promises to spend her entire lifetime listening to the tales these scars on his body have to tell. She finds a patch of disfigured skin on the top of his collarbone and presses the gentlest of kisses upon it, a promise sealed with her lips.

She perches on Muriel’s lap, her nimble fingers diligently carding through his straggly hair. He hums contently, leaning in to her touch as she gently scratches his scalp with her nails, dragging a shiver from the man in front of her. The way she devotes her attention on him, as if she is worshipping him, causes him to hide his reddened face against the top of her head, soft blue tendrils of hair meeting his cheek. She continues trailing her hands all over him, pausing only to gaze up him with an unreadable look on her face whenever she discovers another one of the many scars on his body. He bites back a quiet hum as her thumb brushes over his cheeks and halt in their journey to rest over the familiar scar.

It takes a moment before he realizes that the trembling he feels isn’t coming from him.

“Sanura?” He pulls his face away from the top of her head and looks down at the woman in his arms curiously, his heart beating erratically as Sanura looks up at him with tears in her eyes.

“You... are so beautiful, Muriel.”

His breath hitches in his throat as her eyes stare through him, as if seeing beyond his outer appearance and peering into his very soul, and he ducks down to capture her lips with his own.

_like there was more to me than skin._


	2. sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all it took was one look

_when i saw you,_

_i fell in love_

Something in the back of her mind tells her to turn to her left, and she spins on her heels to peer into the dimly lit tent. A thick cloud of incense greets her at the entrance as she tentatively pokes her head inside to take a look at what merchandise is being sold. She’s hesitant, almost nervous as she rests one foot in the threshold, a conflicted expression on her face. She hears movement behind her, and she barely has time to register that she’s possibly in the way when someone outside bumps into her, sending her tumbling into the tent.

“Ow.” She grumbles under her breath before allowing herself to look around, noting that there is no merchandise lining the inside of this certain tent. “A seller without any objects to sell? How odd,” she muses out loud. “Why would anyone come to the market and set up a tent without anything to sell?” She  continues sitting on the floor, taking in the entire scene before her. The fresh scent of myrrh and other spices, the serene glow of the lit candles, the shadow in the farther corner of the tent watching her with curiosity-

“Hello.”

Her head snaps in the direction of the voice, her mouth open to scream, but freezes when the gentle light from the candles falls upon the shadow’s face, illuminating their face.

She almost forgets how to breathe.

The boy sitting behind an old wooden table almost looks more like an angel amongst a crowd of mortals. Her gaze is locked onto the smile on his face, and it’s like the world outside begins to disappear around her. All she sees is him- this white haired fellow with the most curious pair of eyes.

_Lilac._

_She never knew how beautiful the color lilac could be._

She finds herself falling into a world of lilac, surrounded by the color, enveloped in the magic and mystery that lies behind the angel’s eyes. There is a promise of adventure in his gaze, and she peers into those eyes in search of answers, finding only more questions within those shining pools of violet.

“That’s an interesting way to enter.” Sanura sucks in a deep breath as the boy before her leans back in his chair and nonchalantly addresses her, his teasing tone bringing an embarrassed blush to her face. “Have you found anything that interests you?”

The market is teeming with life today, the smells and the sounds outside beckoning to Sanura. She hears her cousin Xun calling her name from right outside, probably in search of her to share a piece of the pumpkin bread he said he was going to buy. She wants to answer Xun, call out to him and let him know that she’s right here, but she’s trapped, caught in the gaze of the boy with lilac eyes. Before she knows it, she finds herself gravitating towards him, as if the two are connected by an invisible thread that is shortening by the second.

“Maybe I did,” she finally answers. Sitting down in the chair opposite to the boy, her hands nervously fidget with the edges of her dress as the boy’s gaze seems to analyze her. “We won’t know for sure until you tell me what you’re selling.”

The boy leans forward, elbows tucked underneath him as he rests his chin in the palm of his hands, his gaze intense and burning, and Sanura finds herself blushing again when his lips stretch into a lazy smile. His eyes dance with mirth.

“Dreams. Magic. Wonder. Mystique. I can sell you a glimpse of your past, your present and your future if you so desire, for a small price, that is.” The smile grows mischievous as the boy reaches into the sleeves of his shirt and pulls out tarot cards, a strange, powerful deck unlike any tarots Sanura has ever laid her eyes on. Even with the minimal distance between them, Sanura can feel their radiating energy, almost as if they were alive.

She nods before reaching for the small pouch of change she had been saving for emergencies, stopping only when the boy holds out his hand and waves off the money. A brow quirks in confusion as the boy once again shakes his head.

“No, for you, I require a different sort of payment, something more personal and valuable.” He holds out his hand and smiles, the brightness of his smile almost blinding. “Your name is all I desire.”

_Magician._

Her hand begins to quiver- from excitement or fear, she cannot tell- at the thought of sharing such a personal part of herself to a complete stranger. Names were powerful things within the magic world, and willingly giving your name to another magician required a great deal of trust. Sanura knew that if she willingly gave her name to this boy, she was also surrendering her entire being to his mercy.

“So.” The boy tilts his head to the side in such an innocent fashion, his hand still outstretched towards Sanura and the smirk on his face never wavering. She glances at his hand before daring to look back up at his face “Are you willing to pay the price, miss? Will you give me your name?”

A small voice inside of her screams no, to stand up and leave this tent. She wants to run away to the safety of Xun, she wants to find her little colt Mawingu and just leave this place, but something compels her to stay, to make the deal, to give him her name freely. Fingernails dig into the flesh of her palms, allowing herself to tear herself away from the ensnarement of the boy’s gaze, and she buries her face in her hands. 

_Think_ , that’s what she needs to do. She needs to think if it’s worth the risk. Giving up her name? That’s the same as signing away her freedom, giving this boy access to the magic of knowing her name. That kind of magic wasn’t just something to freely give to a stranger, it was a type of magic only shared between tight knit friendships and lovers. She’s already been a fool before trusting outsiders to be her friends, and she had paid the price dearly when they took advantage of her naivety.

She pulls her hands away from her face, and she finds the boy staring at her intensely, awe reflected on his face.

Her decision is easily decided for her in that moment.

She reaches out and grasps his hand, intensely aware of the slick heat from her palms as lilac eyes continue to stare at her.

She smiles.

“ _Yes_. It’s Sanura.”

He pauses, head still tilted to the side as his hand closes around her hand. “Sanura. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl such as yourself.” Her name sounds like a prayer coming from his lips, and he looks up at her with reverence.

She knows she is caught in his web the moment he kisses the top of her hand, the smile never falling from his face.

_and you smiled because you knew._


End file.
